Trump touches Queen at state dinner; sparks debate over breach of royal protocol

A discussion on whether or not the POTUS broke a royal protocol with this act started on the micro-blogging website on Monday.

Image courtesy: Twitter

New Delhi: US President Donald Trump sparked a debate on Twitter during his state visit to the UK after a picture of him placing a hand at Queen Elizabeth’s back surfaced online. A discussion on whether or not the POTUS broke a royal protocol with this act started on the micro-blogging website on Monday. Though the Queen seemed totally unaffected from Trump’s act, many on social media platform are criticizing the US President. The incident took place when Trump concluded a speech in the honour of the Queen. As he stood up Trump apparently patted the Queen on her back. As per Daily Express UK, touching Queen Elizabeth II has long been considered one of the greatest taboos surrounding the British monarch, one of the unwritten rules about how people are expected to behave around the royal family. The daily reported that Trump isn’t the only one to fall foul of this hallowed tradition. Michelle Obama once put her arm around the Queen and explained herself in her new autobiography, Becoming. Though the rule is not stated on Royal Family’s website, there are many who wish to observe the traditional forms. Trump’s picture elicited a number of reactions on social media:

Appears no one at @StateDept briefed Trump on Queen protocall. From press pool: "As the Queen rose to give the formal toast, Trump appeared to lightly touch her back with his left hand, as seen on the pool feed from the front. Protocol dictates that one doesn’t touch the queen."

— Heather Timmons (@HeathaT) June 3, 2019

Are you supposed to pat the Queen, Mr. President? pic.twitter.com/9UyNEc2ZuA

— Khaled Faisal (@Du08Khaled) June 4, 2019

 

Trump later appears to pat the queen’s back, @asebenius notes. pic.twitter.com/56e7RNGxB9

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) June 3, 2019